Gloucester Resources Limited v Minister for Planning [2019]
NSWLEC 7
A recent decision by Chief Justice Preston of the Land and
Environment Court of New South Wales has brought climate change to
the forefront of legal discussion.
Background
In 2012, Gloucester Resources Limited (GRL) lodged a development
application seeking consent for a coal mine known as the Rocky Hill
Coal Project. Its purpose was to produce 21 million tonnes of coal
over a period of 16 years.
In 2017 the Planning Assessment Commission, as a delegate of the
Minister for Planning, refused the application. Three main reasons
were given for the refusal, being zoning issues, visual impact and
public interest.